Emirates National Investment Office, Dubai

Swiss Bureau has recently completed the design for ENI office, a regional investment group that is specialized in real estate. The space had the advantage of a premium location and breath taking views overlooking the scenery of Dubai.

The client wished to capture minimalistic design that revolved around simple subdued colours. The intent was to create an office space that was both chic and industrial. Also the use of a natural component such as plants and a warm wood was part of the clients briefing. Once entering through the main door they’re greeted by the centre piece of the office which is the oak tree at the heart of the office. The tree can be seen from all sides and represent knowledge, strength and unity. The main design challenge was to design around this oak tree.

We envisioned this space as an architectural building, where the space follows the brutalist framework of glass partitions which scale and navigate the space in different spacial gestures. Through modifying the structure of the space, we have changed the impression of stiffness and inflexibility of office spaces.

The space contains a reception, a pantry, the CEO’s office, a large corridor, a Majlis, a meeting room, an open work spaces and includes big storage units on the side of every work station. As minimalism was the route we wanted to pursue we’ve used rectangles to create simple volumes throughout. The biggest and most significant volume is the main black rectangle right in the centre of the office. These black blocks are the managers cabins and is a volume where employees can walk around, work in and go through first thing in the morning.

We wanted the material palette to evoke the feeling of chic and industrial. The main materials include a mico-topping cement finish for all internal walls, subtle stripped carpet, framed glass, dutch velvet, camel leather and walnut veneer for a chic and warm touch. The material in combination with custom joinery furniture and plants form the basis of the design. A steady and gentle interior lighting is achieved by the ceiling built-in spots.

As the use of sustainable materials become increasingly more important in the field of design and architecture we have used a carpet supplier that caries the cradle to cradle label. This carpet has no harmful toxic materials and can be re-used or up cycled at the end of it’s life cycle. We’ve used only LED lighting for their new office to ensure a 62% on annual energy saving.